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Comparison

The FreeAgent alternative
built for MTD

FreeAgent was great for freelancers — but it's now owned by NatWest and increasingly tied to their banking products. Margin gives you MTD ITSA filing, Open Banking, and AI bookkeeping at a lower price, with no strings attached.

Try Margin free for 14 days

No credit card required · Cancel any time

Feature comparison

Margin vs FreeAgent — side by side

Feature Margin FreeAgent
MTD ITSA quarterly filing✓ Built in✗ Not available
MTD VAT returns✓✓
Self Assessment support✓ MTD ITSA route~ SA103 export only
Open Banking (automatic feed)✓ All UK banks✓ Most banks
Works without NatWest/RBS account✓ Any bank~ Free tier requires NatWest/RBS
Invoicing✓✓
Expense tracking✓✓
Payroll (RTI/FPS)✓ Built in✓
Auto-filing (unattended submissions)✓✗
AI receipt scanning✓~ Basic OCR
Landlord / property income✓ Multi-property cockpit~ Limited
Free tier✓ Unlimited (no time limit)~ Only with NatWest/RBS
Accountant partner access✓ £39.99/month✓
Desktop application✓✗ Browser only

Comparison based on publicly available plan details as of September 2026. FreeAgent is a trademark of FreeAgent Central Ltd (owned by NatWest Group). Features may change.

Pricing

Lower price, more included

Margin's Standard plan costs less than FreeAgent and includes MTD ITSA — which FreeAgent doesn't offer at all for sole traders.

Margin Standard
£14.99/mo
MTD ITSA, Open Banking, AI bookkeeping, payroll, invoicing, unlimited transactions
FreeAgent Sole Trader
£19/mo
After introductory period. No MTD ITSA quarterly filing for sole traders. Free with NatWest/RBS account.

Margin also offers a permanently free plan — no trial, no expiry — covering basic bookkeeping, unlimited invoices, and document storage. Perfect for keeping your books ready before you need to file.

The key difference

FreeAgent doesn't do MTD ITSA — Margin does

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax is mandatory from April 2026 for sole traders and landlords earning over £50,000. FreeAgent currently has no MTD ITSA filing capability for sole traders. You would need to use a separate MTD-compliant product to meet the legal requirement.

Margin was built with MTD ITSA as a core feature — not a bolt-on. You connect to HMRC once via Government Gateway, and Margin handles every quarterly update, EOPS, and Final Declaration automatically. Auto-filing means submissions go in on the morning of each deadline without you doing anything.

Read our full guide: Making Tax Digital for Income Tax — what sole traders need to know →

Choose Margin if you…
  • Need MTD ITSA quarterly filing built in
  • Want lower monthly cost
  • Bank with any UK bank (not just NatWest/RBS)
  • Have rental income alongside self-employment
  • Want auto-filing — submissions handled for you
  • Prefer a desktop application
Stick with FreeAgent if you…
  • Already use it and don't yet need MTD ITSA
  • Have a NatWest/RBS account and use the free tier
  • Need specific integrations only FreeAgent offers
  • Your accountant has existing FreeAgent workflows
Switching

How to switch from FreeAgent to Margin

  1. Export your transaction history from FreeAgent (Accounting → Export → CSV). For most sole traders this covers everything needed.
  2. Sign up for Margin and complete the setup wizard — enter your business name, income type, and HMRC details.
  3. Import your transactions using Margin's CSV import feature. Margin auto-detects FreeAgent's export format.
  4. Connect Open Banking for automatic transaction sync going forward. See the Open Banking guide.
  5. Connect HMRC via Government Gateway for MTD ITSA. See the HMRC connection guide.
  6. Cancel FreeAgent once you're happy everything is in Margin.

Most users complete the switch in under an hour. Margin support is available in-app if you hit any issues.

Common questions

Is Margin cheaper than FreeAgent?
Yes — Margin's Standard plan is £14.99/month including MTD ITSA. FreeAgent's sole trader plan is £19/month after the introductory period and doesn't include MTD ITSA filing. Margin is free forever for basic bookkeeping with no NatWest/RBS account required.
Does FreeAgent support MTD ITSA?
As of 2026, FreeAgent does not offer MTD ITSA quarterly filing for sole traders. It helps prepare figures for Self Assessment, but you cannot submit quarterly updates to HMRC directly through FreeAgent. This is a significant gap given MTD ITSA is now mandatory for those earning over £50,000.
Do I need a NatWest or RBS account to use Margin?
No. Margin works with any UK bank that supports Open Banking — Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, NatWest, Santander, Monzo, Starling, and many more. There's no requirement to switch banks. Margin's free tier has no bank restrictions.
Will my accountant be able to access Margin?
Yes. You can invite your accountant to your Margin account via a secure link. They get accountant-mode access — clearly labelled so there's no confusion about whose account they're viewing — and can export year-end packs directly.
Can I import my FreeAgent data into Margin?
Yes. FreeAgent lets you export transactions as CSV. Import this into Margin using the CSV import feature — Margin detects the column format automatically. For invoices, re-entering open items typically takes a few minutes.

Switch to the MTD-ready alternative

Try Margin free for 14 days — no credit card, no commitment. MTD ITSA filing included from day one.

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